The Newton Citizen Poll is a compilation of opinions submitted by readers. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Citizen newspapers. If you agree or disagree with something you read here, you may respond by e-mailing poll@newtoncitizen.com. Please remember that the Citizen Poll is not a forum for comments either for or in opposition to candidates seeking elective office.

"Thank you President Obama and everyone who voted him in office. Due to Obamacare and increased regulations on health insurance, not only are our premiums going up by 40 percent but we also have been told we must change our doctors who we have had for 20 years. In addition, our health savings account can no longer be used to pay for all medical costs. And I thought we lived in a free country where consumers could choose what was best for their family."

"I am writing in response to the county wanting to start charging a license fee for pets. First of all, let me say I am a responsible pet owner. All of my pets are vaccinated. They are also kept in a fenced yard. I own five pets at this time and they all are fixed. I don't think I should be charged a tax to own my pet. If the county starts this the shelter will be overrun and no one will want to adopt. People are having a hard enough time as it is, people are already having to give up their pets because of hard times now. My pets are family and I can't imagine having to give up any of them. What the county needs to look at are the pets that are left to run the neighborhoods, or that are chained with no shelter, food or water and start fining those people and leave the rest of us alone. Can I get an amen?"

"Hey citizens, what do you think about the decision the courts reached concerning the Housing Authority? They put the taxpayers on the hook to the sum of $1.35 million. A court in Covington reached this decision in a Newton County courtroom because a man murdered a woman in 2006 after he was already convicted of murdering someone in 1963. Why didn't the paper say taxpayers will have to pay for this ridiculous decision? The court said the Housing Authority should not have let him live in government housing. Oh yeah, they also gave the taxpayers a life sentence because they put the murderer on three hots and a cot for the rest of his life. Just another way our liberal court system is trying to kill this country."

"Are you kidding me, Chairman Morgan is worried about morale in the county. ... Morale is down in the county; I should know, I work for the county; people are leaving left and right. Just in the past two weeks there have been two people to leave the Fire Department, and I'm hearing more people talk about leaving the Fire Department. I know next year you will try and raise taxes again and when that doesn't pass you will blame the public for next years' budget deficit and more county employees getting laid off. Blame no one but you and the rest of the board. For years now the county has based their budget on building permits and new houses going up. Well nothing lasts forever; you see what happened to the housing market. Now you're standing around scratching your head, wondering how will we balance the budget and not have to lay off employees. I will tell you how -- pass drink by the sale; this will attract new business in the county. Restaurants will be interested in moving into the county, and guess what follows restaurants, You guessed it -- other business. The problem is you and the others could not run a hot dog stand and make a profit, so I guess the constituents' of Newton County should not depend on you running the county!"

"Please read this quote from a response to the 'Trails' news article from the Sunday Citizen. Posted by: Pro Trail Location: Newton on Oct. 23, 2010 at 08:46 AM 'This looks like a bad sequel to the fight over the park in the Fairview subdivision. Other forward-thinking communities desperately seek amenities like these trails, as they attract and are utilized by people with higher levels of education and high incomes.' Who just exactly do these people think they are! We have seen what the 'higher levels of education' and high incomes have done to us on Wall Street. And if these people who have moved here to take over our town and our existing quality of life don't like it here they can just move on. Nobody asked them to move here in the first place. What an insult to all the good people of Newton County. 'Protrails' your momma obviously forgot to teach you any manners at all! We uneducated, poorer citizens should work together to see an end to this unforgivable, expensive, unwanted drain of our tax dollars. Speak up!"

"I am amused at the anti-trail folks. One of them was quoted in your publication as saying that he was 'against the trail and was going to find out what the facts are.' Generally, people find out what the facts are and then make a decision, but not the anti-trail people. They are against it with or without facts. The signs that they are distributing encourage us to 'Contact our county commissioners.' Unfortunately our county commissioners have decided to sit on the fence and are not involved whatsoever in the proposed purchase; but rather several local towns and cities and a local non-profit. Against, against, against. Please don't tell me the facts, I don't want to hear them. What a sad state of affairs."

"A few weeks ago someone wrote in complaining about the sale papers being thrown onto their driveway. The Citizen reply was that it was not the doings of the paper. I was appreciative of the sale papers as I could use some of the coupons enclosed. I subscribe to the Newton Citizen with a Covington address, but I live in Rockdale County. I have noticed in the last couple of weeks that only select homes are sale papers thrown in their yard. I am not sure if these folks subscribe or not, so does that have anything to do with it. Maybe the person that puts these papers out can respond. Many thanks!"

"What on earth is Turner Lake Road closed for? This closure sure seems a huge waste of time and energy. I have to drive several miles out of my way to get to my church and this seems to be a huge waste of taxpayers money and a waste of gas and wear and tear on their auto, not to mention the time spent going out of the way to get to their destination. Please, please tell me that the rumor I heard about building a walkway under Turner Lake Road is wrong! If it's so I think whomever the people that will obviously prosper from such a dumb undertaking should be sued!"

"It's the moral obligation of society to help those who are unable to help themselves, but I'm really tired of my money going to those who are unwilling to help themselves. Why would anyone want to work when you can get free housing, food, utilities, health care, (now, if you're black, free college tuition) from the government and charities will give your kids free school supplies, clothes, more food, Christmas gifts, etc., etc., etc. Those of us who are working are the stupid ones! How is it that all these welfare recipients are able to have fancy cell phones and I-pods, salon done nails, expensive shoes, gold jewelry, and cigarettes? It seems to me if you can't afford the necessities you shouldn't be buying the luxuries. Oh wait, our tax dollars are providing your necessities!"

"Are you kidding me -- $111,000 for someone to tell us what we need to spend on a SPLOST first. A SPLOST that we do not have yet. If the county commission does not have enough common sense to know what the county needs they need to quit. Spending money on something that looks like the people may not pass anyway. We are tired of taxes and we are just trying to feed our families. May be it's time to recall the commission chair. It only takes 5 percent of the vote of the last election. May be we could refund the $111,000 to the taxpayers. It's our money anyway."

"On July 29 I wrote regarding the honor roll for Ficquett from May. You responded that you put the honor rolls in when able. OK, I accept that ... However, after your response you put a few school honor rolls in the paper but not Ficquett! Here it is Oct. 28 and still no Ficquett honor roll? The paper has room for a whole page (and regular print, not even smaller print) of the Police Blotter and Sex Offenders get space -- why not the children who worked for those grades to see their name in the paper for something positive? ... "

"I bet if we had the option to vote for 'none of the above' next Tuesday, it would be checked more than any other option."

"Why do we have Spanish TV stations that we pay for that don't have an English button so I can watch and understand but they can push a Spanish button SPA but I pay for them to watch these stations. Is English still the universal language. Do we check the school systems here in Georgia to see if the foreign students have Social Security numbers? I have grand kids who have graduated from high school but I still pay school tax. Why should they get free education at my expense and not theirs? How much of America is owned by Americans? How much do we own China, a Communist country? What happens if we can't pay China back? Will they do like the banks and take the collateral back or what did we put up?"

"This is for the commissioners. Please don't tax our pets. Sometimes having a pet is a luxury because you have so many expenses involved just with the everyday care of them. Please don't add any more expense to having a pet."